Crawling Dragon #MRD-012

Crawling Dragon #MRD-012 collector guide

About Crawling Dragon

Crawling Dragon is a Normal Monster, with flavour text instead of an effect, printed as MRD-012 in Metal Raiders (2002) as a Common. It is a Level 5 EARTH Dragon monster with 1,600 ATK and 1,400 DEF. At its Level it needs one Tribute to Normal Summon. Metal Raiders was the second English booster set. It added Summoned Skull, Gate Guardian, Mirror Force and Change of Heart, and many of its cards shaped how the early game was played. Ungraded, this printing ranks 493rd of the 508 Metal Raiders cards we track. The top card is Gate Guardian at €301.65.

Character and collecting appeal

Dragons are the most collected monster Type in Yu-Gi-Oh!, largely thanks to Blue-Eyes and Red-Eyes. Normal Monsters like this one are mostly collected for their art and to complete the set.

Version and identification

This guide covers the Unlimited printing, without the "1st Edition" text below the artwork. 1st Edition copies of the same card have their own, usually higher, prices. Check the code printed below the artwork on the right: it should read MRD-012. The code MRD-012, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as MRD-E012, and are priced separately. It is the Common version. Commons have a plain name and no foil. Metal Raiders has 3 other printings of Crawling Dragon: MRD-012 1st Edition (€2.11), MRD-E012 (€1.77) and MRD-E012 1st Edition (€2.27). Each has its own price, so match the code, edition and rarity exactly.

Price history

Today an ungraded copy of this printing sells for about €0.22, a PSA 9 for €6.24 and a PSA 10 for €61.16. Our monthly prices for it go back to October 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are down 85%, and down 66% in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €2.09 in January 2023, 89% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved down 34% over the same 12 months. Of the 4 printings of Crawling Dragon we track, this one ranks 4th by ungraded value. The most valuable is Metal Raiders MRD-E012 1st Edition at €2.27. 1st Edition copies sell for about 9.6× the Unlimited printing (€2.11 against €0.22).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 278× the ungraded price and 9.8× a PSA 9. That gap is big enough that grading a sharp, well-centred copy can pay for itself. On cards from the early 2000s, the dark brown backs show every scuff and white edge, so top grades are scarce.

Investment potential

In its favour: a price well below its January 2023 peak, which some collectors see as room to recover; it comes from the first years of the English game, which are no longer printed; an active market (25 recent completed sales), so it is easy to sell. Against it: falling prices, down 85% in a year. Past prices do not guarantee future ones. This is not financial advice.

Before you buy

Expect to pay around €0.22 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €6.24. Ask the seller to show the code MRD-012, the missing "1st Edition" text and the Common finish clearly in the photos, as listing titles often mix up printings. Cards from 2002 often show white wear on the back edges and corners, so ask for photos of the back before you buy.

Card details and image from YGOPRODeck. Yu-Gi-Oh! is a trademark of Konami; Search Cards is not affiliated with Konami.